To the Volkswagen European Group Works Council, the Volkswagen Group Global Works Council, the Volkswagen Group,

We are Changchun FAW-Volkswagen agency workers, we have been ruthlessly exploited by FAW-Volkswagen for a long time, we have been suffering unfair treatment compared to FAW-Volkswagen full staff. Now, agency workers have united in solidarity to defend our legal rights, In our long struggle, we have encountered many obstacles. To this date, FAW-Volkswagen not only has not acknowledged nor replied to our legally rightful demands: they have not acted in good faith.

What is worse, they have used vile tactics, colluding with local officials and arrested our worker representative under false accusations. Representative Fu Tianbo, in detention for over 2 months, has been accused of “gathering crowds to disrupt public order”. Representatives Ai Zhenyu and Wang Shuai have been released pending trial after 7 day in detention.

Our lawyers presented our proposal to FAW-Volkswagen on 29 June, 2017. In the document we demand compensation for unequal pay and other compensatory payment, we demanded a reply within 10 working days: to this date we have received no reply. The negotiations have effectively failed.

FAW-Volkswagen’s practices have not only violated Chinese laws, their discriminatory treatment of agency workers violated the principles and practices of Volkswagen Group’s own Global Framework Agreement’s (GFA) Charter on Temporary Work for the Volkswagen Group.

We, FAW-Volkswagen agency workers in defence of our rights, strongly demand the Volkswagen European Group Works Council, the Volkswagen Group Global Works Council and the Volkswagen Group fully acknowledge and respect agency workers’ rights, and mediate for the resolution of the current labour dispute based on Volkswagen Group’s own GFA.

Story Highlight

It is the duty of the union to represent workers in negotiations with employers, it should not just sit on its hands. Neither should the Trade Union Law just exist on paper. The union should shoulder its legal responsibilities towards workers by defending their rights.

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